Narrative:

We were completing last leg of our trip from cdg to sfo when ZOA cleared us into the published hold at pye with 20 mi legs. The sfo WX was 160 degrees, not bad! However, sfo/bay control can never handle even marginal VFR. Our efc was over an hour away. I was the first officer and PF. The captain was checking the holding time with approximately 11500 pounds of fuel on board. The relief first officer was checking the WX at smf, oak and sjc as well as contacting dispatch. I was monitoring ATC and flying the airplane via the autoplt/mode control panel. We were cleared from FL240 to FL200 so I set the mode control panel altitude to FL200 and the captain verified. At the same instant, I looked down at the FMC's progress page, and saw the estimated fuel at sfo to be 3800 pounds. This is when I made my mistake of not selecting VNAV/flch which would initiate the descent. I could not believe what I saw and told the captain to look at the FMC. I was rusty on panic but today I had my fill! I told the captain we have to leave the hold now! Since smf was further away then oak we decided to go to oak. A total of 2 mins passed from the clearance to now. The controller now cleared us to FL190. This is when I found my mistake because we were level at FL240 with FL200 in the mode control panel window. I told the crew of my error. I started down as the captain told ATC of our minimum fuel state and that we were diverting to oak. ATC gave us 070 degree heading. The captain told her that we could not accept any delay to oak. She gave us direct to oak, with a descent to a lower altitude. Since we were approximately 80 mi from oak I strongly objected to the descent. He disagreed and told me to descend now. We landed at oak with no further incident. We landed with 6900 pounds which was above far minimum. What did we learn? Well, the FMC projects the arrival fuel based upon the FMC's efc time put in by us on the FMC hold page. I was very tired from the long 11 hour atlantic crossing which began at approximately 12 midnight body time. Our 'rest seat' is horrible in the 767-300 and 777. They are totally unacceptable for sleep because of noisy passenger, flight attendants and smoking on international flts. I wish that the FAA would force the airlines to give us a real sleep bunk like the 747-400 so we are not so tired. If I had adequate sleep during break time I might not have made my mistake. We all made good decisions about the diversion to oak. We debriefed on the ground to learn from the experience. The captain said he didn't have time to debate how much fuel we would have had at sfo and didn't want to argue with the FMC. So he declared the low fuel state. I learned to make sure I finish all the button pushing on the mode control panel before anything else, including panicking over the FMC fuel estimate.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FLC OF AN WDB DECLARED MINIMUM FUEL AND DIVERTED.

Narrative: WE WERE COMPLETING LAST LEG OF OUR TRIP FROM CDG TO SFO WHEN ZOA CLRED US INTO THE PUBLISHED HOLD AT PYE WITH 20 MI LEGS. THE SFO WX WAS 160 DEGS, NOT BAD! HOWEVER, SFO/BAY CTL CAN NEVER HANDLE EVEN MARGINAL VFR. OUR EFC WAS OVER AN HR AWAY. I WAS THE FO AND PF. THE CAPT WAS CHKING THE HOLDING TIME WITH APPROX 11500 LBS OF FUEL ON BOARD. THE RELIEF FO WAS CHKING THE WX AT SMF, OAK AND SJC AS WELL AS CONTACTING DISPATCH. I WAS MONITORING ATC AND FLYING THE AIRPLANE VIA THE AUTOPLT/MODE CTL PANEL. WE WERE CLRED FROM FL240 TO FL200 SO I SET THE MODE CTL PANEL ALT TO FL200 AND THE CAPT VERIFIED. AT THE SAME INSTANT, I LOOKED DOWN AT THE FMC'S PROGRESS PAGE, AND SAW THE ESTIMATED FUEL AT SFO TO BE 3800 LBS. THIS IS WHEN I MADE MY MISTAKE OF NOT SELECTING VNAV/FLCH WHICH WOULD INITIATE THE DSCNT. I COULD NOT BELIEVE WHAT I SAW AND TOLD THE CAPT TO LOOK AT THE FMC. I WAS RUSTY ON PANIC BUT TODAY I HAD MY FILL! I TOLD THE CAPT WE HAVE TO LEAVE THE HOLD NOW! SINCE SMF WAS FURTHER AWAY THEN OAK WE DECIDED TO GO TO OAK. A TOTAL OF 2 MINS PASSED FROM THE CLRNC TO NOW. THE CTLR NOW CLRED US TO FL190. THIS IS WHEN I FOUND MY MISTAKE BECAUSE WE WERE LEVEL AT FL240 WITH FL200 IN THE MODE CTL PANEL WINDOW. I TOLD THE CREW OF MY ERROR. I STARTED DOWN AS THE CAPT TOLD ATC OF OUR MINIMUM FUEL STATE AND THAT WE WERE DIVERTING TO OAK. ATC GAVE US 070 DEG HDG. THE CAPT TOLD HER THAT WE COULD NOT ACCEPT ANY DELAY TO OAK. SHE GAVE US DIRECT TO OAK, WITH A DSCNT TO A LOWER ALT. SINCE WE WERE APPROX 80 MI FROM OAK I STRONGLY OBJECTED TO THE DSCNT. HE DISAGREED AND TOLD ME TO DSND NOW. WE LANDED AT OAK WITH NO FURTHER INCIDENT. WE LANDED WITH 6900 LBS WHICH WAS ABOVE FAR MINIMUM. WHAT DID WE LEARN? WELL, THE FMC PROJECTS THE ARR FUEL BASED UPON THE FMC'S EFC TIME PUT IN BY US ON THE FMC HOLD PAGE. I WAS VERY TIRED FROM THE LONG 11 HR ATLANTIC XING WHICH BEGAN AT APPROX 12 MIDNIGHT BODY TIME. OUR 'REST SEAT' IS HORRIBLE IN THE 767-300 AND 777. THEY ARE TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE FOR SLEEP BECAUSE OF NOISY PAX, FLT ATTENDANTS AND SMOKING ON INTL FLTS. I WISH THAT THE FAA WOULD FORCE THE AIRLINES TO GIVE US A REAL SLEEP BUNK LIKE THE 747-400 SO WE ARE NOT SO TIRED. IF I HAD ADEQUATE SLEEP DURING BREAK TIME I MIGHT NOT HAVE MADE MY MISTAKE. WE ALL MADE GOOD DECISIONS ABOUT THE DIVERSION TO OAK. WE DEBRIEFED ON THE GND TO LEARN FROM THE EXPERIENCE. THE CAPT SAID HE DIDN'T HAVE TIME TO DEBATE HOW MUCH FUEL WE WOULD HAVE HAD AT SFO AND DIDN'T WANT TO ARGUE WITH THE FMC. SO HE DECLARED THE LOW FUEL STATE. I LEARNED TO MAKE SURE I FINISH ALL THE BUTTON PUSHING ON THE MODE CTL PANEL BEFORE ANYTHING ELSE, INCLUDING PANICKING OVER THE FMC FUEL ESTIMATE.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.